News Release

Elk bugling programs offered this fall at Wind Cave National Park

Rangers at Wind Cave National Park will be offering tours to listen for elk bugling in September and October.

NPS Photo

News Release Date: September 1, 2023

Contact: Tom Farrell, 605-745-4600

HOT SPRINGS, SD – Rangers at Wind Cave National Park will be leading programs mid-September through early October to listen for the bugle of the Rocky Mountain elk. The elk’s high-pitched whistle heralds the arrival of fall and the elk’s mating season.

Beginning Wednesday, September 13, rangers are giving brief interpretive programs about elk before leading a caravan to a nearby pullout to listen for them. These one-hour programs are offered Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings through Saturday, October 7. Participants meet at the Wind Cave Visitor Center front lawn at 7 p.m. and are encouraged to bring a flashlight, a camp chair or blanket to sit on, and to dress warmly.

To listen to an elk’s bugling call, visit the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/elk-bugling-wica.htm.

The park visitor center will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until September 30, 4:30 p.m. after that. Cave tours are on hold pending repairs to the cave’s elevators. Tours are expected to resume in mid-October. The park store, run by the Black Hills Parks and Forests Association, a non-profit partner supporting park education efforts, is open with a variety of products for sale.  

Fall is a great time to explore the park either by driving park roads or hiking some of its 30 miles of trails. A great family activity is hiking to the park’s highest point, Rankin Ridge, a one-hour, one mile hike with views extending to the Badlands on a clear day.

For more information, call the park at [phone].